LANSING, MI -- The Michigan Senate today unanimously approved a bill that would prohibit state and local law enforcement officials from assisting the federal government in the indefinite detention of citizens of the United States.

Senate Bill 94, introduced by Republican Sen. Rick Jones of Grand Ledge, is an assertion of states rights in response to a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act that critics say gives the federal government too much power in the ongoing war on terror.

Jones, speaking on the floor Tuesday, told his colleagues that the NDAA gives the federal authorities the right to "grab a U.S. citizen off the street and throw them in jail against their will without a trial. We're asserting under the 10th Amendment that no state or local authority will cooperate with this act."

Citing the Michigan Personal Freedom Acts of 1855, which guaranteed the writ of habeas corpus and trial by jury for individuals considered "fugitive slaves" by the federal government, Jones told lawmakers they had an "historic opportunity" to join their predecessors and stand up for freedom.

Sen. Steve Bieda, D-Warren, also spoke in support of the bill Tuesday, noting that it is supported by both the American Civil Liberties Union and various Tea Party groups around the state. "That's historic in itself," he said.

If approved by the House -- which unanimously passed a similar bill last year -- and signed by the governor, the bill would create a new statute prohibiting any agency or employee of the state or a political subdivision, along with members of the Michigan National Guard, from aiding federal authorities in the investigation, prosecution or detention of any person under section 1021 of the NDAA in violation of the U.S. or state constitution.

The true impact of the bill is unclear, as the federal government can still enforce the NDAA independently without the assistance of law enforcement agencies in Michigan or other states.

U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, has refuted claims that the NDAA exposes citizens to "arbitrary arrest" or indefinite detention. "The new law does no such thing," he wrote last year in a column for Foreign Affairs Magazine. "At its core, the NDAA reaffirms already existing U.S. law on the military detention of individuals captured in the country's fight against al Qaeda."

Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Google+ or follow him on Twitter.